How And Why Belly Fat Increases Cancer Risk

by: Stefan Simonovic

Most people are trying to get in shape and flatten their stomachs in order to be more successful on free singles dating sites or in real-life dating. Yes, belly fat can be a deal-breaker when it comes to matchmaking, but a new study suggests that this type of fat may actually cause a much bigger problem than that. Scientists from the Michigan State University claim that deeper layers of belly fat can be responsible for vicious diseases like breast cancer, bowel cancer, prostate cancer, uterine cancer and even kidney cancer.

How And Why Is This Happening?

Even though the fact that obesity increases the risk of cancer is old news, this new research may explain how and why this is happening. The study, conducted by the finest expert form the Michigan State University, claims that a certain protein released from the body fat can cause regular, non-cancerous cells to turn into cancerous ones.

After this discovery, scientists dug a little bit deeper in order to find what exactly is causing these cells to turn. Soon after they initiated the second phase of this research process, they figured out that the lower layer of abdominal fat is responsible for this change. They compared this deeper layer of fat (visceral fat) with the fat located directly under the skin, and they discovered that the visceral fat is releasing much more of this dangerous protein.

The experts concluded that the lower layer of belly fat is encouraging tumor growth. Needless to say, this rather alarming realization is currently causing a lot of worries all around the world.

Is Obesity The Only Indicator?

According to scientists and experts, one-third of the entire population is dealing with obesity. This is, of course, a very troubling fact. Naturally, obesity has been closely linked with many health problems like cardiovascular diseases and cancer. However, is the body mass index (BMI) actually the best indicator when it comes to discovering cancer?

Surprisingly, not! "It is the abdominal obesity, and even more specifically, levels of a protein called fibroblast growth factor-2 that may be a better indicator of the risk of cells becoming cancerous," claims a well-recognized and respected assistant professor in pharmacology and toxicology, Jamie Bernard. To prove this, Jamie and her co-author Debrup Chakraborty observed mice that were fed with high-fat food.

After the experiment, they realized that visceral fat produced a significantly larger amount of the FGF2 protein. As we mentioned earlier, this is the protein that causes non-cancerous cells to turn into cancerous. Jaimie and Debrup discovered that this dangerous protein is directly responsible for the creation of the tumors.

Is There A Way To Prevent This From Happening?

Of course! You can lower the risk of cancer by eating healthier food and by exercising on a regular basis. This way you'll be able to eliminate your abdominal (belly) fat quite easily. Additionally, you will improve your overall health and well-being. Jaimie Bernard says that there is always an element of chance when it comes to cancer, but if you treat your body like a temple, you'll definitely reduce the risk of getting sick.

About the author:

Stefan is a writer and a blogger in his spare time. He also works for First Beat Media, a company that mainly focuses on the online dating niche and similar services.